John Shaffer understood the odds weren't in the favor of his Delbarton team as it was dealing with a four-goal deficit with less than two minutes left in the game.

However, one goal quickly led to another and, eventually, Connor Bilby's goal with just 13 seconds remaining sent the game to overtime where Shaffer put home the winning goal in the first overtime to lead second-seeded Delbarton, No. 9 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, to an improbable 8-7 victory over top-seeded and No. 2 Don Bosco Prep yesterday in the NJSIAA Non-Public A championship in Livingston.

Don Bosco Prep won the opening draw in overtime, but Delbarton goalie John Schisler (five saves) came up with a stop and Schisler got it on the other end and swept across from the left to the right before firing it in with 2:45 left.

"Once we started pumping goals in, we were ready to go," Shaffer said. "We just needed a little momentum, a little energy, and it started with Austin Williams on the faceoff, and our defense coming up big on their side of the field made it easier for us."

Delbarton (14-6) won its second straight Non-Public A title and sixth in seven years. This is also the Morristown school's state-leading 12th group championship. Don Bosco Prep, which entered the game 18-0, was going for its first title, which looked like a lock after Marc Buermann gave Don Bosco a 7-3 lead with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter.

Jordan Dowiak started the Delbarton comeback with a goal with 1:48 left. Williams, who won 13 of 18 draws, including 5 of 6 in the fourth quarter, then gave his team possession, leading to a Sean Donnelly goal off a feed from Kevin Lewis, who scored the sixth goal with 27 seconds to go on a pass from Bilby.

Bilby then scored the tying goal almost the same way Shaffer scored the winner.

"I knew there wasn't much time on the clock and a teammate set a pick for me, so I figured a sweep would be the best play in that situation," he said. "Luckily, I got a step on my defender, and at that point in the game, you have to take the shot and hope it goes in."

Don Bosco broke a 3-3 tie in the third quarter on a goal by Alex Henthorn, who was fouled, and that led to a man-up goal by Ray for a 5-3 lead with 6:13 to go. Henthorn then scored again about two minutes later off a pass from Max Allen to make it 6-3.